Wicked Problems : How to Engineer a Better World

Our world is filled with complex problems. For instance, how did novice pilots learn to fly safely without risking their lives? How can cities manage large amounts of waste without harming the environment? These challenges, which affect personal, public, and planetary aspects—often seen in healthcare, infrastructure, business, and policy—are known as wicked problems and they are not going away anytime soon.

In this book, Guru Madhavan explores the emergence of wicked problems throughout history and suggests ways to address them in the future. He delves into well-known tragedies and lesser-known events, from the design of battleships to a volcanic eruption that disrupted global trade, and how maintaining our sanitation systems represents tikkun olam, or the repair of our world. As a tribute to society’s innovators and caretakers, Wicked Problems offers a fresh perspective for readers of all backgrounds on how to build a better future. It highlights that engineering is a cultural choice—one that requires not only transforming society but also caring for the creations that already exist.